To all of you asthma mommies.....what symptoms did you little ones have when they were diagnosed? I know for some kids, wheezing is not their primary symptom. I have suspected asthma in my oldest for a while now. Other friends/family that I have in the healthcare field do as well, but the pedi has always poo-pooed it. He has seasonal allergies (which of course can be a trigger). Already, his "allergies" are acting up (even though the pollen count is actually not high yet). He coughs like crazy at night. Does not usually cough much during the day. Last week he was coughing quite a bit, one of those "comes from your toes" kinds of coughs, kwim? Anyway, he also constantly clears his throat. When this first started, I really thought maybe he had some kind of vocal tic. However, when I start him on his Zyrtec, the throat clearing all but stops. I would not even think much about this, but I saw where the New England Journal of Medicine published a study in 2003 that talked about constant throat clearing being a big warning sign of peds asthma....sometimes the only sign at first. I have never heard him wheeze....but that doesn't mean he hasn't. He was at a friend's house the other day and she thought she heard him wheeze (her daughter has asthma so she knows what it sounds like). She has also heard him cough at night and says it sounds like her daughter. So.....how were your kids diagnosed? Any of them have the throat clearing thing? Thanks!

With Cooper he was diagnosed because he had a cough that wouldn't go away, it got worse at night, and really bad when he is sick. I hardly hear a weeze or laboured breathing, and the only time they can 'hear' it is when he is sick. But on his puffers properly the coughing goes away after a couple of days completely.

I used to chop and change his meds a bit because I really didn't beleive that it could be asthma and didn't want him on meds, but then he got ear infections and the ENT said, every time he coughs it scars his lungs (I don't know how true or to what extent) but it scared the crap out of me, so now he is 4, he gets puffers in winter, we wean over summer, and double our dose when he is sick (espcially winter) sometimes summer he doesn't get the cough.

Parker was diagnosed when he got congestion without being able to hear it, he coughed also like Cooper at night more and especially when he was sick. He had a pH probe for his reflux and this confirmed that the coughs were not reflux related generally so they diagnosed his asthma, and now I do the same as Cooper, puffers in winter, double when sick, and try and wean over summer.

Jessica, if you think he might, then get it taken care of. Don't ignore it. What if he has a serious attack and you are not prepared?

I have asthma b/c of the reflux. I use to wheeze really really loud but the asthma never bothered me. Now, I do not wheeze at all and yet the asthma seems to have gotten worse. (some nights I still have to go on neb machine). I am also on QVar and Singulair (preventive)

Also, night coughing for sure. I usually didn't cough in the day unless it was after I eat.

Throat clearing, always after I eat. Sure sign that I am refluxing. At least I thought that is what all the thoat clearing is about. Refluxing more so than asthma?

I think you better educate your doctor and let him know reflux and asthma can go hand in hand for sure!

I pray it's not asthma, but IF it is you do want to know.

Best wishes
Jean

My daughter wheezes but it's not audible to the ear without a stethoscope. She also coughs all day long and goes through a long throat-clearing exercise every morning. She used to sound like a pack-a-day smoker until we started her on Flovent daily. That's helped a lot with the coughing but she still is congested and has to cough it up in the morning when she wakes.

My daughter, too was diagnosed by a cough that wouldn't go away...not to mention, her cough was so severe after running around that she'd end up vomiting from the force of it. Her cough was horrid at night and since starting her on QVar, she's been sooo much better. No more coughing at night, no around the clock coughing...she still coughs if she runs around a lot, but a couple puffs of her rescue inhaler and she's good to go. So, cough was her major symptom.

That to me sounds like he does have asthma. Both of my kids have reactive airway disorder (as I do too). Usually their asthma acts up only when they catch a cold or allergies. But with my daughter, her is more severe. And I was told by her pulmologist that as soon as she starts coughing to start her Albuterol treatments. Her coughs at her worst at night too.....you may want to see a pediatric pulmologist in your area......our's is a God sent!!!!! I am so glad that we decided to go to one. Let us know how your son is doing. By the way, i forgot to mention that at times, I do not hear any wheezing with my daughter. But what ends up happening is that her chest is so tight that once she has 2 treatments along with Orapred, her chest loosens up and then she starts to wheeze.

I agree with everything the previous posts have said. My daughter's reactive airways disease was triggered by a viral infection. She coughs. She wheezes. She starts to have retractions (you can see her chest pull inward between her ribs and along the top and bottom of her sternum). We use albuterol as needed for the wheezing (and yes I can sometimes hear her wheezing without my stethoscope) and coughing, and we use Pulmicort daily. I encourage you to discuss your concerns with your pediatrician and perhaps request a consult with a pediatric pulmonologist or allergist (allergies are very often a culprit in triggering an attack). Fortunately, I have a fantastic pediatrician whom I work with on a daily basis, so we're very intune with each other's knowledge and style of practice. He trusts me to manage Brenna's asthma and I often just have to call to ask for meds to be called in to the pharmacy. Definitely get medical advice if you are suspecting asthma. It is something that can be controlled, but can cause very severe problems if ignored.

night time coughing
not sleeping well at night

when she is sick there is more coughing, sneezing, and wheezing and sleep gets worse at night.